2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report

June 19, 2020 1:00 PM EST

Evaluated by: Nick DeJong
@NickDynastyFF
June 19, 2020

Prospect Overview

Seth Williams, who hails from Cottondale, Alabama, surprisingly spurned his hometown Alabama Crimson Tide during the recruitment process, instead committing to the Auburn Tigers. The big 6'3" 224-pound Williams was able to make an impact right away as a freshman, hauling in a respectable 26 receptions for 534 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2018 from current Patriots' quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

He followed up his freshman season with 59 catches for 830 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2019. Williams was very consistent and reliable, as he caught at least three passes or had at least 40 yards receiving in 11 of the 12 games in which he played. Williams will be heavily relied upon once again heading into the 2020 season and is expected to take another step upwards in his play and production.

Positives

Williams is a sturdy physical receiver capable of overpowering many cornerbacks at the point of attack. Prefers to box out and set up shop as opposed to beating coverage with elusiveness or acceleration. Shows strong hands, often making difficult catches look easy even when thrown slightly off target. Routinely shows off his outstanding body control, and consistently wins on 50/50 jump balls.

Williams shows off his strength, often dragging would be tacklers down the field and increasing his yards after the catch. Shows some surprising nimbleness when maneuvering through traffic and oncoming defenders for such a large man. Plays with an "Alpha" mentality, looking at himself to be the go to guy to come up with a game changing play for his team. Williams is an obvious red zone target who should command a ton of respect near the goal line from opposing cornerbacks at the NFL level.

Areas for Improvement

I'd like to see Williams improve his hand fighting at the line of scrimmage as well as the top of his route. At times he gets a little too physical at the top of his route and has a tendency to push off the opposing cornerbacks a little too often for my liking. He is unlikely to get away with that as often in the NFL as he does in the NCAA. Williams has missed eight games over the past two seasons with various ailments or injuries and durability moving forward might be a slight concern. I'd like to see him improve his double moves on his route stem which would further allow for an increased cushion and window for the quarterback to throw him the ball. Once he gets moving Williams has pretty decent speed for his size but some added work on his acceleration would really help to elevate his game. I'd also like to see him crank up the intensity when blocking to take advantage of his size and strength and help out the run game.

Draft Stock

I expect Williams' draft stock to land him early in the second round and with improvement this year I do envision the possibility of him moving inside the first round of the NFL draft. I do believe that the combine will be vital to show scouts that he has enough speed and athleticism to be effective at the NFL level. Williams has prototypical No. 1 wide receiver size, terrific film, along with solid production to go along with it. The Auburn Tigers return in 2020 as a very strong NCAA team who last year were ranked 12th, knocking off Alabama and only losing by three points to the undefeated and eventual National Championship winners LSU in 2019.

With Bo Nix at QB, Williams should find himself in many big games to show his evaluators what he can do on the field and potentially could find himself in the College playoffs competing for a National Championship in 2020. Williams is also an extremely humble player, refusing to even acknowledge his own statistics at times, and rather more importantly only praise his teammates and coaches. A low maintenance type player who likes to give back to the community, I expect William's character to win over the hearts of NFL management.

Player Comparison

Much like Allen Robinson, Williams is a large, physical WR who uses his size and strength to his advantage but at the same time is also athletic enough to create separation from the defender to provide a nice throwing window for his quarterback. Williams seems destined to play the X in most NFL offenses and should be a volume and red zone target monster in any NFL offense much like Robinson is in Chicago, if he is able to reach his potential.

Games Evaluated

• vs. LSU
• vs. Alabama (worst film)
• vs. Florida
• vs. Mississippi State (best film)

Notes from Film

• Makes countless catches with arms fully extended away from his body
• Screen play vs Georgia showed athleticism and ability to maneuver through traffic
• Route tree is nicely diverse
• Not afraid to run over the middle of the field as seen with many post, slant routes which will endear him to offensive coordinators
• Plays extremely physical at the point of contact
• Contested balls are more 70/30 favouring Williams then they are 50/50
• Obvious red zone target with his size
• Uses size to his advantage for YAC
• Loves to bully opposing DB while running routes
• Outstanding jump ball ability
• Consistently fights for extra yardage refusing to be dragged down after the catch
• Shows good concentration often, as displayed with a nice one handed catch vs Alabama with two defenders in his face
• Had 4 catches for 79 yards and 1 touchdown vs the Florida Gators, often going head to head vs 2019 first round pick CJ Henderson.
• Occasionally will take a play off when he knows that he is not the intended target
• Has excellent body control, making some diving catches, contorting his body in mid air to make the catch, or toe tapping the sideline to stay inbounds
• At times was asked to play in the slot and did not look out of place
• Shows strong and reliable hands, easily plucking the ball out of the air

Scouting Video Courtesy of Underrated Highlights